JBL launches its $250 Google Assistant-powered Smart Display to take on Lenovo

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Audio hardware brand JBL is entering the smart display arena with its new Link View, which is powered by Google Assistant and costs $250.

For the asking price, you get an 8-inch touchscreen, dual 10W speakers, a 5-megapixel front camera for video calls, and a PrivacySwitch feature that blocks the camera shutter and mutes the mic – all in a black splash-proof body.

That’s a bit more than the $199 tag on Lenovo’s 8-inch offering; for the same price, you can get the 10-inch model, which is identical to the former, but gets a larger, higher-resolution display, and a bamboo rear panel.

Oh, and Lenovo’s offering is ready to ship, while JBL’s Link View will only arrive early next month if you order one now. JBL also hasn’t yet mentioned the screen resolution on its device for some reason.

As with the Lenovo Smart Display and others like it, the Link View runs on Google’s Android Things OS, and will respond to questions with visuals, play music and YouTube videos, display recipes, and control your smart gadgets.